Coke breaker for coal stokers



Sept. 29, 1931. E. T. WARNER COKE BREAKER FOR COAL STOKERS Filed July '7, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet wuentoz Edgar Til/@U2U Sept. 29, 1931. E T. WARNER 1,825,432

COKE BREAKER FOR COAL STOKEHS Filed July 7. 1927 l 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1'. Q o d.' o n atto: new( Sept. 29, 1931.

E. Tl WARNER `COKE BREAKER FOR COAL STOKERS Filed July'?, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented sept. 29, 1931 `UNiTEDl s'rxrasv'lm'rarrr oFFlcE EDGAR T. WARNEROF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR, BY MIESNEk ASSIGNMENTS,

TO AUTOMATIC COAL BURNER COWOF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, .Av CORPORATION .OF

WASHINGTON conn BREAKER Fon. coAL sToxERs Application tiled .Tuly 7,

My invention relates to an improvement in coal stokers, and, more especlally, to an automatic stoker having means for break-I ing up the formation of coke masses, wherebysfcoking coals, which hitherto it has not been considered feasible to burn in automatic stokers, may be burned with the same j ease that non-coking coals are burned.

Thus it is an object of my invention to provide a means for breaking up these coke deposits, a further object being to provlde such a means which will not interfere with the ready burning or feeding of the fuel,

- and which will not itself be destroyed nor harmed by the heat ofthe burning fuel.

Another object is the construction of a cokebreaker element in such form that it will efficiently break the mass in all parts, and even though it may coke again after having been once broken up and separated.

Inasmuch as the device is adapted. to a large extent for residence and apartment use, it is a further object to provide such a coke 'breaker which will be substantially silent in operation, yet sufficiently forceful to accomplish its main purpose.

Afurther objectis the provlsion of a control means for such a stoker which will movethe coke breaker to drop it upon the burning fuel and operate immediately thereafter to remove it from contact withthe coals.

A further object is the provision of such a -device for use in connection with a Stoker, especially such afstoker as embodies the usual coal feeding and ash removing means, which will be simple in its construction and y assembly, notI interfering with the regular 1927. Serial No. 203,972.

actuating means for the coke breaker, being l shown in section along the axes of the feed screws;

F1gure 3 is a plan viewof the coke breaker;

Figure 4 is a plan -view of the actuating 60 member for the coke breaker, taken sub- "stantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, a

part being broken away;

Figure 5 is a detail section on 5`5 of Figure 3';

F igureG is a detail 4section on the line- 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 vis a detail in side elevation of the coke breaker operating means upon the opposite side lof the stoker from that shown in Figure .2. I A

While the coke breaker is applicable to various types of stokers, the articular embodiment shown herein has een designed for use in connection with residence Stoker lof the general form shown in Figure 1, which I will therefore describe so that the operation of the coke breaker may be clear.

In this .view the main hopper has been removed, it being understood that the coal is received from the main hopper into the lower portion 90, from which it is fed to the burner 8 by means of a feed screw 9. The feed screw is driven from the motor 91 through a transverse drive shaft 9 2 and re-,35

trols are provided, which are immaterial' to the present invention. In addition to the coal feed screw `9, the present Stoker is provided twith an ash remover screw 97 vdriven from the motor, which ash screw, through a "gear 98 meshing with a gear 89,

) drives a rotative member 88 journaled upon .g, a base 87, this rotative member carrying ash lthe line l'sweepers 86 which sweep ashes collected on a ring 7 to an aperture 70, through which they drop, to be picked up and removed by 'the screw 97. It will be understood, however, that the employment of an ash screw is entirely optional, and it will be understood that the rotative member 88 may driven in any suitable manner, and that its function to support the ash sweepers 86 has nism with the fuel feed means, and it causes u the least change in design to drive the coke breaker from this asli' sweeper plate 88, hence the adoption of. the construction described.

The burner 8 is supported at the upper end of a burner` pot into which the coal conduit 91 and the air conduit 95 discharge, the burner ot being divided into an air chamber anti) a fuel chamber, the air chamber communicating with the fuel chamber through the interstices 81 (see Figure 3). Thus the burner 8 is open vat its top and fuel fed thereinto by the feed screw 97 is directed centrally upwardly through its open end, and is burned as the air is forced into the mass through the interstices 81.

It has been found that coking coals cannot ordinarily be burned in an automatic burner, and it has been found furthermore that certain coals not ordinarily classed as coking, will coke when burned under forced draft, such as is caused by the fan 94 in the present arrangements. Thus, unless means were provided to facilitate the burning of cokin coals, a good many useful and otherwise desirable coals could not be burnedin such stokers, and their use would be limited to the free burning coals. Thus, such automatic stokers would not be of value for consuming any and all grades and types of coals, but would be more or less limited in their usefulness, and could not be universally adopted. p,

To overcome this diiculty I have provided a means whereby the coking mass arisingfrom the fire pot can be broken up from time to time, and in such an automatic burner as this can be broken up at regular intervals from the same power source as that which feeds the coal. The form of the coke breaker may vary widely, but as herein shown, it consists of a device in the nature of a series of picks or lingers which drop upon the coal mass to break it into smaller ieces, and which is immediately raised rom the coal mass and out of the direct heat of the burning coal.

So far as the coke breaker is con,

In' thel form shown herein thev coke breaker comprises a ring 1 formed, preferably, of two halves, the upper half 10 being secured to the lower half 11 by some such means as` the clamping bolts 12.4 Complemental notches in the upper and lower rings form, when the halves are brought together, holes for the reception of picks or fingers 13 and 13. The form of these fingers or teeth is shown in Figure 6. Each is formed as a depending pointed pick with a substantially horizontal supporting shank lll'haviiig a reduced neck l5 and enlarged head 16. The neck 15 is, preferably, non-circular. Thus when the ring halves l() and 11 are separated, the shanks may be laid in the notches in the lower half 11, whereupon the upper half 10 is placed thereon, and when clamped by the bolts 12, the various teeth 1'3 and 13 are held in position. `It will be understood that any other means of securing these teeth in place might be employed, and that that described is merely a convenient and inexpensive manner of making and assembling the coke breaker ring and teeth.

The ring 1, when in lowered position, is substantially lcoaxial with the burner 8, and the teeth 13 and 13 are so disposed that they efectually cover the central area of the fire pot and tend to break up any masses which would otherwise arise therefrom as a solid column of coke. The teeth break up this coke mass and spread it somewhat so that the air has freer passage through the mass, so that it Will burn to ashes before passing over the edges of the burner 8. The arrangement, number and spacing of the teeth 13 and 13 may vary with different coals, or with the conditions under which the coal is burned, and these factors will be determined in accordance with the characteristics of any particular installation or coal to be burned. However, the- 'teeth should be so disposed, in two or more concentric rings surrounding the feed axis of the burner, that the inner ring breaks the first coking mass, and the outer ring breaks any subsequent tendency to' coke, just prior to the mass being reduced to ashes.

The coke breaker ring is'normally supported in upraised position, as 'shown in Figure 1 and in dotted lines.in Figure 2 l and for this pur ose it may be supported iri various ways. s I have shown it herein, brackets 2 are supported at 20 from the fire pot casing 80, and at their upper ends, at 21, are pivoted the levers 17 which carry the ring 1. A cross bar 18'connects the two levers 17 and stiiens the support for the coke breaker ring 1 and by contact with the back side of the brackets 2, as shown in Flgure l2, serves as a` stop to supportI the oo ke breaker ring 1 in -upraised position with its center of gravity slightly forward of the plvot axis at 21. Movement of the sov Lesbi-132 3 pivoted at 31 to .the lever 17V and at 34.

to an arm 4. This arm 4 is pivoted at 41 on the fire pot casing 80, and its lower end 42 is `positioned adjacent the path of rotation of the rotative member 88. One only of the arms 4 is provided, there being an arm 40 at the opposite `side 'of the lire pot casing which corresponds in many respects to the arm 4', but which differs slightly therefrom in its proportions and arrangement relative to the rotative member 88.

It will be observed in Figure 5 that the lower end 42 of the arm 4 is'oifset laterally.

The rotative member 88 carries two arms 44 and 45, carrying the respective pins 46 and 47. The offset 42 on the arm 4 is positioned to be engaged by the pin l46 and to permit the pin 47, which is closer to the center of rotation of the rotative member 88,' to pass. The path of rotation of the member 47 is indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5.

Now if the arm `4 is assumedto be in dotted line position of Figure 2, the coke breaker ring 1 is in upraised position. As the pin 46 in its rotation comes in-contact with the arm 4, the arm is carried forward, or to the right, as seen in Figure 2, and this action, communicated through the link 3, tips the coke breaker ring 1 past the center of the pivot axis at 21, and it drops upon the material issuing from the iire pot and breaks it into small pieces. The same movev ment of the coke breakerring moves the arm 40, but the. pin 47, carried by the rotative member 88, and as seen in Figure 4, is

Iat such an angle relative to the pin 46 and to the position of the two arms 4 and 40, that the arm 40 is immediatelyl engaged, whereupon the coke breaker is tipped back to its original upraised position, thus-withdrawing it immediately from the heat of the mburning fuel. Thus it remains until the rotative -member 88 has made a complete revolution, the pin 47 passing the ofset end 42 of the arm 4, as is indicated in Figure 5, andv the pin46 similarly passing the end of the arm 40. l

It is undesirablcto permit the coke breaker to drop on the burner 8, itself, or to drop in such a manner that it will cause a noise, for these burners are usually used in residences and noise of this sort would be ob- -jectionable. I, therefore, provide a bumper of some convenient sort, such as the rod 5 projecting forwardly from the pivot 34 and passing through a guide 50 secured upon the air conduit95. A spring 51 surroundment of the set lcollar 52 along the rod v5 will adjust the tension of the spring, as may be desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an automatic coal stoker, in com! bination, a burner open atits top, means lfor advancin fuel therethrough and centrall upwar through the open top, a cokebreaker supportedl at one sideof the burner top,and normally positioned out ofthe di-` rect heat from the burning fuel therein, and

means for causing movement of said cokel breaker, from time to time, to strike the fuel mass in the burner at all sides of its central feed axis, and to return it to its upraised position. y E i 2. In an automatic coal Stoker, in combination,"a burner open at its-top,1means for advancing fuel upwardly through its center, a circular coke breaker pivotally supported at .one side ofthe burner top, and v,normally positioned in upraised position, ltwo -azrmsdepending at opposite sides of said burner, and operatively connected to said coke breaker, a rotative` member beneath said burner, and a pair of actuating members carried by said rotative member, v.one thereof-being engageable with one of said4 arms to cause the coke breaker to drop 'two arms depending at opposite sides of' said burner, and operatively connected to said coke breaker, a rotative member beneath said burner, and a pair of actuatingmembers carriedby said rotative member, one thereof being engageable with one of said arms to cause the coke breaker to drop from its upraisedcposition upon the fuel mass issuing from said burner, the second being thereafter engageable with the other arm to return the coke breaker to its upraised posltlon, said actuating members being relatively angularly disposed about said rota tive member, andin such relations to the positions of said arms, that the second arm is engaged immediately following dropping of thecoke breaker, to raise it again.

4. In an automatic coal Stoker, in combination, a burner open at its top, fmeans for advancing fuel therethrough, a coke breaker pivotally supported at one side of the burner top, and normally positioned in upraise positio Ameans operatively engageable with said coke ybreaker to cause it to drop upon the fuel mass issuing :from said burner, and

for returning it to its upraised position, and means for breaking the fall of said coke breaker.

5. A coke breaker for eoal stokers comprising two complemental ring halves, each half having notches cooperating with those of the other half to form apertures, fingers including points and Shanks having reduced necks disposed in said apertures, and means for securing said ring halves together to secure said lingers in said apertures, projecting to contact with the coked fuel.

6. In an automatic coal burner, in combination, a burner, means for advancing fuel therethrough, a coke breaker adapted to drop upon fuel issuing from "the burner, means for causing said coke breaker to strike, and

to retract it, and yieldable means for preventing contact between the coke breaker and burner, as the former drops.

7. In combination with a substantially circular horizontal coal burner pot, open at its top, a pair of levers pivoted above and at one side of the burner pot, a ring carrying picks and supported by said levers at one end of each, an arm/operatively connected t0 the opposite end of each lever, and actuating means engageable with said arms to alternately cause the ring and picks to drop upon the fuel in the burner pot, and to raise them therefrom.

8. In combination expressed in claim 7,

the actuating means including a pair of pins rotatable in horizontal paths beneath the burner. pot, and adjacent `the ends of, said arms. Y

9. The combination of claim 7, the arms being pivotally supported at opposite sides of the burner pot, and depending from such pivotal supports, links connecting each arm with its respective lever, and two pins rotatable in non-coincident horizontal paths beneath the burner pot, and each engageable with its respective one of the arms.

l0. In combination with a substantially circular horizontal coal burner pot, open at its top, two pivot brackets upstanding from opposite sides of the burner pot, and adjacent an edge thereof, a coke breaker structure including levers pivoted between their ends in said brackets to support the coke breaker, a bar connecting said leveros, and

-. engageable with said brackets to maintain the coke breaker normally in upraised position at one side of the burner pot, and means for causing said coke breaker to drop upon the fuel in the burner pot, and for raising it therefrom to its normal upraised position.

ll. In an automatic coal stoker, in combination, a burner open' at its top, means for advancing fuel therethrough, a coke breaker, a pair of levers at opposite sides of the burner supporting said coke breaker in a normally upraised position above the level of and means operatively connecting each of said arns to its respective one of said levers, a horizontally rotative member, and pins carried by said rotative member and moving each in its individual path, said arms terminating each in its respective one of said paths, to be engaged only by the pin moving in that path, said arms being engageable by said pins in succession to cause said coke breaker to. drop upon the fuelmass in the burner, and to raise it thereafter to its and break up the fuel mass on all Sides of its feed axis, the fingers being disposed in an inner circle to`-break the first coking, adjacent the fuel axis, and in an outer circle,

to break any subsequent coking, as the fuel passes away from its feed axis.

13. In an automatic coal stoker, in combination, a burner open at its top, means for advancing fuel therethrough, a coke breaker, a pair of levers at opposite sides of the burn-l erq supporting said coke breaker in a normally upraised position at one sideI of the burner top, an arm operatively connected to each of said levers, a horizontally rotative member, and pins carried by said rotative member through individual paths adjacent said arms, and engageable with said arms in succession to cause said coke breaker to drop upon the fuel mass issuing from the burner, and to raise it thereafter to its upraised position, said pins being disposed at different radial distances, and the arms being disposed to be engaged each by its respective pin but not by the other.

14. In an automatic coal burner, in combination, a burner open at its top, means for advancing fuel therethrough, a coke breaker, lever means supporting said coke breaker in a normally upraised position at one side of the burner top, two arms operatively connected to said lever means, a horizontally rotative member, and pin means carried by said rotative member, said pin means being engageable with said arms in succession to cause said coke breaker to move down upon the fuel mass issuing from. the burner, and thereafter to raise the coke breaker again to its normal position.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 25th/day of June, 1927.

EDGAR T. WARNER.

the top of the burner, two depending arms, I 

